Expandible mail receptacle



June l2, R R. W|XQM EXPANDIBLE MAIL RECEPTACLE Filed Dec. 27. 1952 #g2 vafaaf IIIL United States VPatent O EXPANDIBLE MAIL RECEPTACLE Roy R. Wixom, Glenview, Ill. Application December 27, 1952, Serial No. 328,165 2 Claims. (Cl. 232-19) My invention relates to a mail receptacle and particularly a mail receptacle of the expandible type.

Mail receptacles for residences are generally atxed adjacent the front entrances of the residence and for this reason it is desirable to have such mail receptacles of a relatively small size and of pleasing appearance. The mail receptacles or boxes now in use are generally of`a small size and being so, are notadapted to accommodate or receive relatively bulky mail matter Asuch as newspapers, magazines, catalogs and the like.

It has been found in the common experience of the mail carrier that the average residential mail box is inadequate to hold the mail matter delivered to the average residence. This results in the placing of the bulkier mail at places removed from the mail receptacle where such mailmatter is subjected to damage by rain and snow Aand is also subject to`pilferage. One of the objects of my invention is to providea mail box of a relatively smallsize which may be utilized to accommodate ordinary letter mail. Another object of my invention is to provide a mail receptacle which may be readily expanded to accommodate bulkier mail matter. A further object of my invention is to provide an expandible mail box made of parts which may simply be fabricated and which may be manufactured inexpensively. These and other objects will appear from the following description and drawings in which I have illustrated a preferred form of my improved expandible mail receptacle.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved mail receptacle showing it in expanded position and with relatively bulky mail matter inserted therein;

Figure 2 is a cross section taken along the length of the mail receptacle and showing in dotted lines the mail receptacle in an expanded or extended position;

Figure 3 is a front elevation with parts broken away;

Figure 4 is a cross section taken along the lines 4-4 of Figure 2.

The mail receptacle comprises a mounting plate which may be fabricated of a single piece as shown or may be of any conventional type adapted to hold the working parts of the mail receptacle securely to a board or to the wall of a building. Apertures 12 are provided in the mounting plate to receive means 14 by which the mounting plate may be secured to a board 16 which in turn is aflxed to the wall of a residence or a post adjacent thereto as desired.

Adjacent the top of the mou'iiting plate are a series of open end loops which cooperate with similar loops on a cover 18 to form a hinge 20, the cover of the mounting plate being hingedly secured together by means of a pintle 22. The cover may be of a single piece provided with nturned anges 24 on the sides and top of the cover to space the cover from the mounting plate when the receptacle is in its normal folded position. The ends of these anges may be turned back upon themselves to provide a rib 25 to give added strength to the cover. The cover 18 is of a width slightly greater than that of the mounting plate so that when the cover is in its normally closed position the side tianges encompass the side edges of the mounting plate. The cover is of a length greater than the mounting plate so that when it is in closed position, the cover extends below the mounting plate and since this portion of the cover does not have an nturned flange, there is provided a nger grip portion for ready movement of the receptacle from closed to open position. rative openings 26 such as is shown in the drawing to permit inspection of the mail receptacle when in closed position to determine if any mail matter has been inserted therein.

Adjacent the bottom end of the mounting plate is a hinge 28 through which one of the base plates 30 is hingedly secured to the bottom of the mounting plate 10. A second base plate 32 is hingedly secured to the cover 18 through a hinge 34, the hinge relationship being maintained by a pintle 36. The hinge 34'may be secured to the inside of the cover plate by means of llanges 35 welded or otherwise attached to the cover plate.

The base plates 30 and 32 are secured in hinged relationship through a hinge 37 provided with conventional stop means to limit the pivoting movement of the plates 30 and 32 relative to the plate from the position shown in full lines in Figure 2 to that shown in dotted lines in the same ligure. I

Mounted on the pintle 36 are one or more helical torsion springs. In the embodiments illustrated I -have shown two such torsion springs 38 and 38a spaced from each other and positioned on each side of the center of' the mail receptacle cover. These helicaltors'ion springs terminate at their ends at relatively elongated extensions 40, 40a and 42, 42a. The spring extensions 40, 40a are forced into position Where they bear against the bottom of plate 32 and the extensions 42, 42a on the other ends of the springs project through the holes 44 in the cover 18 and bear against the exterior of cover 18. These torsion springs normally act to bias the plate 32 against the cover 18 to retain the base plates in folded condition as shown in full lines in Figure 2 and may be deformed to permit the cover plate to be pivoted on hinge 20 to the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 2. In such position the torsion springs act to bias the cover plate inwardly against any bulky mail matter which may have been inserted crosswise in the receptacle, thus holding such mail matter securely in place in the receptacle.

I have also provided a spring clip 46 which may be carried exteriorly of the cover 18 by the projections 42, 42a. This clip may be in the form of a small tube generally of U-shape, the open ends of which are inserted in telescopic relationship with the ends 42, 42a of the torsion spring and held in place by means of solder connections 48 ythrough holes in the tube 46.

It is, of course, obvious that the spring clip 46 and the helical torsion springs 38, 38a may be formed of a single piece of wire in which event the holes 44 are replaced by a slot extending crosswise of the cover and adapted to permit the spring clip to be inserted through the slot and then upwardly to bear against the cover 18.

With the construction illustrated it will be seen that I have provided a mail receptacle which when in closed position is attractive, relatively small, and may be fabricated inexpensively. It will also be seen that this mail receptacle may be used for ordinary letter mail and will retain such letter mail within the pan-like cover. Ordinary letter mail may be inserted inside the receptacle by pivoting the cover slightly on the hinge 20 and placing the letters behind the base plate 30 where they will be securely held in place as shown in Figure 2 between the plate 30 and the mounting plate 10. Alternatively, small size letters may be inserted behind the clip 46 where through Patented June 12, 1956 The cover may also be provided with deco# the action of the torsion spring the letters will be retained in place. A clip of the type illustrated is particularly useful when it is desired by the occupant of the residence to place ordinary letter mail to be picked up by the carrier in a position where it will be readily visible to him.

Where bulky mail matter is to be delived, it is merely necessary for the mail carrier to place his ngers at the bottom of the cover to pivot it forwardly on the hinge 20 against the action of the torsion spring, whereupon the plates 30 and 32 will move from the folded position within the cover as shown in full lines in Figure 2 to form a substantially straight bottom plate as shown in Figure 1 and in the dotted lines in Figure 2. The bulky mail matter may then be inserted as shown in Figure l and the pressure required to hold the mail receptacle open may be relaxed. Thereupon by the action of the torsion spring bearing against the bottom plate 32 and the cover plate 18, the cover will tend to resume its normally closed position and will exert pressure against any mail matter which may have been inserted crosswise in the mail receptacle. This results in such mail matter being held securely between the cover and the mountingT plate.

After the mail has been removed from the receptacle, the cover will automatically assume, through the action of the torsion spring, the closed position as shown in full lines in Figure 2.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description taken in connection with the drawings that my improved mail receptacle may take many forms and I do not wish it to be limited to the precise structure shown herein but wish to avail myself of all the modifications which may come within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A collapsible mail receptacle comprising a support, a cover hinged to said support for relative pivotal movement, a mail supporting extensible member hinged to said support and said cover and defining therewith an expandible mail receiving pocket, said extensible member comprising inner and outer members arranged, when said receptacle is in its collapsed condition, in overlapping relationship between said cover and said support, said inner and outer members being hinged together at their upper ends and being hinged at their lower ends to said support and said cover, respectively, and torsion spring means mounted at one of said hinges and urging said receptacle into its collapsed condition wherein said pocket is adapted to hold mail between said support and said inner member.

2. A collapsible mail receptacle comprising a support, a cover hinged to said support for relative pivotal movement, a mail supporting extensible member hinged to said support and said cover and defining therewith an expandible mail receiving pocket, said extensible member comprising inner and outer members arranged, when said receptacle is in its collapsed condition, in overlapping relationship between said cover and said support, said inner and outer members being hinged together at their upper ends and being hinged at their lower ends to said support and said cover, respectively, and torsion spring means mounted at the hinged connection between said cover and said outer member and urging said receptacle into its collapsed condition wherein said inner and outer members are in overlapping position between said support and said cover and said pocket is adapted to hold mail between said support and said inner member.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 583,753 Jones June 1, 1897 1,014,508 Ohlson Jan. 9, 1912 1,090,997 Linck Mar. 24, 1914 1,594,013 Johnson July 27, 1926 

